Remembering Prizefighters Danny Nardico and Billy Murray: A Story for Veterans Day

“There are now over 4000 pro boxers in our armed forces” said a story in the Sept. 19, 1943 issue of the Pittsburgh Press. Some of those boxers returned from the battlefields physically unscathed and were able to extend their career. Others were damaged and never fought again and still others never returned.

Among those 4000-plus boxers who served in World War II were two former world champions who would be decorated for their heroism, Barney Ross and Lew Jenkins. Books have been written about them. Here’s a look at two others who were in the thick of that terrible conflagration, stories worth re-telling today, Nov. 11, Veterans Day in the United States, a day set aside to honor all those that served our nation in the military.

Danny Nardico

Danny Nardico (pictured on the right squaring off against 1952 foe Dan Bucceroni) was born in Ohio near Cleveland, the product of a broken home. He was two years old when his father walked out on little Danny and his six siblings.

At age 17, Nardico enlisted in the Marines. He was wounded in the Battle of Gloucester which began on the day after Christmas in 1943 on an island in New Guinea. The Marines were sent there to destroy two Japanese air bases.

Nardico, despite his tender age, was reportedly a squad leader. The bullet he took in his leg did not stop him from participating in other battles in the Pacific theater. For his valor he received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.

As a professional boxer, Nardico spent 35 months in The Ring Top 10, rising to #3 in the light heavyweight division. He had two signature fights, the first against Jake LaMotta in Miami (actually Coral Gables) on New Year’s Eve, 1952.

Airing on CBS, this was the first nationally televised fight emanating from the state of Florida. Of greater significance, Nardico became the first man to score a knockdown against the rugged LaMotta who was then in the twilight of his career. It happened in round seven, a straight right following a left hook that dropped the Bronx Bull on his pins. Jake survived the round, just barely, and his corner pulled him out before the eighth.

The Ring recognized Nardico’s performance by naming him the Fighter of the Month.

Nardico wasn’t so fortunate in his next memorable fight. On Jan. 20, 1954, he was stopped inside the ninth frame by Charley Norkus, a banger who fought out of Jersey City. Both were in dire straights during this contest, a wild skirmish punctuated by eight knockdowns, six by Norkus. An instant classic, it was named The Ring Fight of the Year. (Danny Nardico, who came in at 181 ½, was out-weighed by 15 ½ pounds. They fought again nine weeks later and Norkus won a unanimous decision in another fierce fight.)

Before his bouts with Charley Norkus, Nardico fought Joey Maxim in a de facto eliminator for Archie Moore’s world title. An outdoor event in Miami, Nardico had Maxim on the canvas in the seventh round but couldn’t sustain the momentum and lost a 10-round decision.

Nardico quit the sport with a record of 50-13-4 (35 KOs) and became a postal worker in Tampa. He later relocated to Sacramento where his second wife, the former Rachel Galindo, had family, and opened an appliance repair shop. When that failed, he accepted a job as the recreation director at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, Nevada, where he and Rachel lived on the grounds of the minimum security prison. After 13 years in the Silver State, he returned to the Sacramento area with Alzheimer’s to live out his days.

Danny and Rachel were married 48 years when Danny passed away at age 85 in 2010. Speaking about her late father, Nardico’s daughter Danella Plum said, “I remember my father being strong as an ox, but tenderhearted….He had a hard exterior, but inside he was as soft as a marshmallow.”

Billy Murray

Stylistically, Billy Murray and Danny Nardico were complete opposites. Murray, who predated Nardico as a fledgling pro by roughly 10 years, was a cutie. Nardico was a brawler who willingly took two punches to land one of his own. But beyond this, both had a great deal in common.

Billy Murray 1941 photo

Both were born in Ohio – Nardico in Painesville and Billy Murray in the blue-collar Ohio River town of Bellaire – and both spent the bulk spent of their professional boxing lives in Tampa. They even had the same trainer, Bill Gore, who would be named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in large part because of his work with Willie Pep. And, akin to Nardico, Murray would also be feted as The Ring Fighter of the Month.

Murray, sometimes billed as Irish Billy Murray, was accorded the honor in the July 1941 issue of the self-styled “Bible of Boxing” which hit the newsstands in June. Murray was recognized for his work in the month of May where he scored six wins, upping his ledger to 29-0.

It was the dream of every young boxer to see his name on the marquee at Madison Square Garden. Billy Murray achieved that goal in August of 1942 when he was matched against the formidable Beau Jack.

Murray entered the contest with a 58-2 record, but took the fight on two days’ notice and was a heavy underdog to the former Georgia bootblack. He wound up losing a unanimous decision, but lasting the distance was a feather in his cap and he could look forward to many more engagements at the famous New York sock palace. With Bill Gore piloting his career, he might yet reach the height of stablemate Willie Pep who was then well on his way to getting a world title shot.

Then came the letter from Uncle Sam that so many young men dreaded receiving. Murray was ordered to report for his induction physical. He had been drafted into the Army.

Murray was assigned to the Air Force. He was remanded to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he was taught how to be an airplane mechanic and then to gunnery school at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. An Air Force World War II gunner was a crew member on a bomber plane, responsible for protecting the aircraft from machine gun fire by fighting fire with fire.

Billy Murray took his 58-3 record to the grave. On Nov. 24, 1943, the day before Thanksgiving, this terse message appeared in the papers: “Cpl. William F. Murray, better known as Billy Murray was reported missing in action by the War Department.” Murray’s plane had been shot down somewhere over Italy.

Murray learned the rudiments of boxing at a gym in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, an hour’s drive from Bellaire. “Sports fans and friends of Billy Murray will always remember him and hope that he will turn up to show his wares again when the conflict is over,” read a story in the Canonsburg paper.

But he never did.

News reports do not list Billy Murray’s age but he was undoubtedly in his early twenties. He looks even younger in the few photos of him that can be found in old papers. One is reminded of the famous anti-war poem by the great sportswriter Grantland Rice.

How very young the faces were

Where all the dead men lay

…wrote Rice in the second stanza of his poem which concludes with his observation that “nearly all the dead were hardly more than boys.”

Danny Nardico, who fought in some of the fiercest boxing contests of his generation, once said, “it was all a cakewalk [compared to the War].” Today, Nov. 11, is a federal holiday, a day set aside to recognize the sacrifices of brave men like Danny Nardico and Billy Murray. And to those of you that served in the military, thank you for your service.

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A recognized authority on the history of prizefighting and the history of American sports gambling, TSS editor-in-chief Arne K. Lang is the author of five books including “Prizefighting: An American History,” released by McFarland in 2008 and re-released in a paperback edition in 2020.

Boots and Bam Win in Philly

Second time arounds can be difficult.

Hometown hero Jaron “Boots” Ennis squeezed by familiar foe Karen Chukhadzhian and Philadelphia discovered why all the buzz about Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez with his blazing knockout victory on Saturday.

Two for one Philly. Two for one.

IBF welterweight titlist Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) found Chukhadzhian (24-3) more difficult the second time around but emerged the winner again in front of more than 10,000 fans at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Philly fighter Ennis looked ready to knock the stuffing out of Chukhadzhian in the rematch. Instead, the Ukrainian fighter made good on his promise to show a different approach and a different result from their first encounter dominated by Ennis 11 months ago.

It was a blast this time.

Chukhadzhian came out blazing with left hooks and shifty angles that caught Ennis by surprise from the first round. A good thing the champion can take a good punch.

Ennis, 27, seemed more frustrated than confused by the more offensive approach of the Ukrainian. Instead of running away from the action the Ukrainian was countering and punching in-between the champion’s combos. Both got hit and both kept punching.

In the fifth round Ennis erupted with a lethal combination including a right uppercut and down went Chukhadzhian. It was only Ennis’ incredible reflexes that helped refrain from unloaded a rocket right while the Ukrainian was on one knee.

It seemed the end was near but instead of folding like an old banana the Ukrainian fighter cranked it up and the fight resumed.

Though the Ukrainian fighter resorted to hitting and holding and was deducted a point for excessive grappling in the 10^th round, he kept firing while Ennis seemed to wane in the last three rounds.

It was a tremendous showing for Chukhadzhian but fell short of winning as three judges saw Ennis the winner 119-107, 117-109, 116-110.

“I was prepared for anything coming,” said Ennis. “I wanted to get the knockout.”

Bam Wins

In the co-main boxing’s youngest world champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) became the first to knock out Mexico’s Pedro Guevara (43-5-1, 22 KOs) and retained the WBC super fly title.

Rodriguez, 24, pressured the veteran contender Guevara immediately and fired from various angles that forced the challenger to exchange. That was the first sign that the Mexican fighter was not going to be able to hit and move.

In the third round it seemed Rodriguez had figured out Guevara and moved in for the kill. He had promised to be the first to knock out the Mexican fighter and then opened up with a withering attack that saw both exchange with Rodriguez’s left cross connecting. It took Guevara two seconds later to collapse from the effect of the blow. He got up, and Rodriguez moved in with a feint and two blows then unleashing a hidden right uppercut that Guevara never saw.

Down went Guevara and he wasn’t getting up at 2:47 of the third round.

“I kind of already knew it was going to happen that way,” said Rodriguez of the knockout win. “I thought he was going to stand in there.”

Other Bouts

Former featherweight world titlist Raymond Ford (16-1-1, 8 KOs) rebooted as a super featherweight with a one-sided unanimous decision over Puerto Rico’s Orlando Gonzalez (23-3, 13 KOs) after 10 rounds at super featherweight.

Ford looks stronger at 130 pounds.

Ford floored Gonzalez twice with sizzling right hooks in the battle between southpaws. After dominating most of the first eight rounds Ford was forced to chase Gonzalez who refused to engage the last two rounds. After 10 rounds all three judges favored Ford 100-98 twice and 99-89.

Mexican light heavyweight Manuel Gallegos (21-2-1, 18 KOs) upset undefeated Khalil Coe (9-1-1, 7 KOs) dropping the American prospect four times before ending it in the ninth round.

Body shots by Gallegos broke down Coe’s defense who was a 20-1 favorite going into the fight. The taller Mexican fighter absorbed big shots to target Coe’s body and that proved the difference.

“I felt good, I felt strong at 175 pounds,” said Gallegos whose last fight was a loss to Diego Pacheco.

Ammo Williams (17-1, 12 KOs) returned to the win column with a blazing fifth round stoppage over Gian Garrido (11-2, 8 KOs) in a middleweight fight. In William’s last fight he lost to Hamzah Sheeraz last June in Riyadh.

Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: East Coast Fight Cards Seize the Boxing Spotlight

Once upon a time Olympic gold medalists provided America’s next great wave of fighters.

No longer.

Keyshawn Davis represents the new breed of American fighters that fell short of gold in the Olympics, but command respect as a professional.

The undefeated Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) meets Argentina’s rugged Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. ESPN+ will show the lightweight battle set for 10 rounds on the Top Rank card.

The brash lightweight from Norfolk managed to win a silver medal in the 2021 Olympics but for many, he looked like the winner. Since then, he’s blazed his way through whoever Top Rank put in front of him.

Not winning gold in the Olympics is not a blemish, especially with the East European dominated judging. Unless an American wins by knockout they are not going to be awarded a decision.

It’s a major reason why boxing may not be a sport in the L.A. Olympics.

The pro fight world offers a true glimpse of a boxer’s talent. Capricious judging can be eliminated by a knockout with smaller gloves and no head gear. The hurting game is ruthless and no amount of biased judging can stop a deadly left hook.

Davis has a non-apologetic thirst for ripping through easy trials and sipping success against top tier talent. He wants success and wants it now even against dangerous opponents like Lemos.

“It’s not going to be beautiful. There’s going to be blood everywhere. His nose might be a little lopsided after,” said Davis. “But, I respect you, Gustavo. You are an amazing fighter. I appreciate you for taking the fight in my hometown, but I’m going to f**k you up.”

Lemos, who recently lost a very close and much debated decision to another East Coast American fighter, is happy to be offered another opportunity to showcase his Argentine style.

“I have a strong opponent, and I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Lemos who lost a spirited battle to Richardson Hitchins in Las Vegas last April. ““I’ve always said that he (Davis) is a good opponent and that we’re going to have a beautiful fight.”

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Davis will be joined on the fight card by his brothers Keon Davis who makes his pro debut and Kelvin Davis who fights Yeis Solano in a welterweight bout.

Also on the same card will be elite fighters in featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem and hot lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason.

Saturday in Philly

Two world champions Jaron Ennis and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez headline an impressive fight card in Philadelphia.

IBF welterweight titlist “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) once again meets Ukraine’s Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) but this time with a world title at stake on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Wells Fargo Center in Philly. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

Their first encounter was not easy for either and resulted in a decision win for Ennis. But that was back in January.  Whoever adjusts quicker will be the winner in this competitive-on-paper world title fight.

Chukhadzhian, 28, can take a punch and has a deceptive style of counters and attacks that seem simple but is effective. In their first match 11 months ago Ennis quickly discovered the Ukrainian fighter’s durability and slipped into a boxing mode to utilize speed and mobility. It proved effective but will it be enough this time?

Ennis, 27, has a world title and seeks more lucrative fights but could stumble if not prepared for another tough clash. But he’s confident that his skills can help him evade any kind of slip.

The Philly fighter filled the arena last time when he defeated David Avanesyan by knockout in the fifth. This time he’s joined by another young gun in Bam Rodriguez, a fellow world titlist.

“He’s going crazy right now. Going up and down in weight divisions. I’m blessed to have him on this card,” said Ennis. “I’m here to steal his fans and he’s here to steal mine.”

Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) 24, meets former world titlist Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) a Mexican veteran who wants to take away Bam’s WBC super fly title.

“I’m trying to go undisputed at 115 and then go on from there,” said Rodriguez. “I’m only 24 so I still have some strength to gain.”

Both will be joined by another hot prospect from Pomona, California named Tito Mercado, an undefeated lightweight.

Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs) is a tall and fast lightweight with power who recently signed with Matchroom Boxing. He has a knockout streak of five and meets Mexican banger Jesus Saracho (14-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round fight. At 23, he’s fought impressive competition and handled it easily.

Puerto Rico

Former super welterweight world titlist Subriel Matias (20-2, 20 KOs) meets Mexico’s Roberto Ramirez (26-3-1, 19 KOs) on Saturday. Nov. 9, at Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Ramirez is jumping up three weight classes for this fight. PPV.COM will stream the fight card live.

Fights to Watch

Thurs. ESPN+ 3:30 p.m. Osleys Iglesias (12-0) vs Petro Ivanov (18-0-2).

Fri. ESPN + 3:20 p.m. Keyshawn Davis (11-0) vs Gustavo Lemos (29-1);

Sat. PPV.COM 3 p.m. Subriel Matias (20-2) vs Roberto Ramirez (26-3-1).

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